A Few Words On Opium (1867)

[RichardB]

John Thomas Miller

http://books.google.com/books?id=YNYhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA26&dq=sheffield+poison&hl=en&ei=CHR8TuyjK8n-4QSsh4ytDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwATg8#v=onepage&q=sheffield%20poison&f=false

[RichardB]

John Thomas and William Henry Miller, Chemists & Druggists, 157 Gibraltar Street (1849)

John Thomas Miller, Druggist, 157 Gibraltar Street (1851 Census image)

John Thomas Miller, Chemists & Druggists, 157 Gibraltar Street (1852)

John Thomas Miller, Pharmaceutical Chemist, 183 Gibraltar Street (1893)

John Thomas Miller

[DaveH]

A few words on Opium.

An extract from the sap of opium poppy it contains over 2000 related alkaloid compounds (collectively called "opiates") many of which have pharmacutical properties. Unfortunately, although many of them are extremely powerful pain killers they have serious side effects and are dangerously addictive.

Even more unfortunately from a chemistry point of view, attempts by chemists to analyse, synthesis and modify the structure and properties of the natural alkaloids has failed to seperate the analgesic and addictive properties.

Morphine is the natural product, a powerful painkiller, but addictive

Heroin is the most powerful synthetic version of it, but also much more addictive (witness the social history of the use of this drug)

Codeine is a fairly mild pain killer based on morphine (but still better than aspirin / paracetomol etc sold over the counter without prescription) but only mildly addictive.

Better pain killer, more addictive.

Weaker pain killer, less addictive

Break that one and produce a morphine based pain killer which is powerful but without the addictive effects and every pharmaceutical company in the world will be offering you a very well paid appointment.